Brunei - WinnerS of the National Al-Quran Recitation Competition 2007 are finally ready to compete at the international level after having officially completed their intensive course, which was celebrated at a closing ceremony yesterday.
The course was hoped to be beneficial for the country, especially to those who would be representing Brunei Darussalam in the 49th International ‘Tilawah Al-Quran‘ competition, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on August 22.
The sultanate won the coveted trophy in 1977 with Haji Masud Haji Awang Damit.
This year, Brunei will be represented by Hj Ismail Hj Sulaiman, for the Qari and Nurfaezah Hj Emran for the Qariah categories.
The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Berakas.
The intensive course had been conducted for the six winners from the male (Qari) and female (Qariah) categories of the competition.
The two-stage course was held from June 9 until August 4, by the ‘Bahagian Kemajuan Syiar Islam‘ or the Islamic Propagation Section.
Every Saturday afternoon, the participants underwent sessions under the guidance of four panels, namely, Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusop Bakar, Dr Ustaz Hj Mirwan Hj Mohd Nuh Batubara, Ustaz Ali Mohammad Mustafa Ali Al-Hafiz and Ustaz Hj Mohd Zainul Ariffin Ridwan Lubis.
Meanwhile, every Monday and Wednesday nights, the course was conducted by two of the panels only, concentrating on the tajwid and suara/lagu.
Similar courses had also been held in previous years, but the opportunity was given only for the winners of each category.
This year, the organiser decided to include the first and the second runner ups from each categories.
This will encourage new participants to always make efforts in improving their skills and quality of Quran recital.
Hj Ali Tahir, Senior Religious Officer at the Ministry of Religious Affairs stated in his speech, his gratitude and appreciation for the guidance of the four panels.
He also said that the course would give the participants the opportunity to improve and add on their knowledge in the field of Al-Quran.
At the ceremony, the two representatives were also invited to perform, whereby their performance were directly evaluated by the panels.
This acted as a guidance for them to rectify their mistakes, before going into the competition.
The team will depart the country today, accompanied by Brunei Muara District Officer, Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusop Bakar, acting as their advisor, and Dr Hj Mirwan Hj Mohd Nuh Batubara, as their trainer.
Presenting souvenirs to the panels at the event was the honoured guest, Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Mohiddin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
60 countries will be represented and vying for top honours at the international Tilawah Al-Quran competition this year, an increase from 52 last year.
Source: www.bruneitimes.com (15 Agustus 2007)